Modified checker game



United States Patent O 3,185,716 MDEED @HECKER GAME Anthony A.Shabariclr, 4211/2 San Fernando Road, Glendale, Calif. Filed Apr. 16,1962, Ser. No. 187,530 Claims. (Cl. 273-137) This invention relatesgenerally to the game of checkers and more particularly to checkers ofnovel construction for adding parameters of complexities to the normalgame of checkers.

The new game is played on a checkerboard by two persons each havingtwelve checkers which are moved diagonally one square or jumped as inthe normal game of checkers. The increased complexities provided by thisinvention are derived from a construction in which certain of thecheckers are mateable with certain others only permitting interestingvariations in `the rules of the game relating to jumping. The gameequipment of this invention permits the players to choose betweendifferent degrees of increased complexity.

The details of construction of the game equipment provided by thisinvention and the manner of playing the game in its various degrees ofcomplexity are described in the following part of this IspecificationWith reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE l is a linear perspective view of equipment for playing a game ofthis invention; and

FIGURES 2 to 8 inclusive are views of dierent forms respectively ofcheckers of this invention shown partly in side elevation and partly incentral vertical section.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, and with the use ofreference numerals, there is shown a conventional checkerboard,designated generally by the reference numeral 10, having side edges 11and 12 and end or base edges 13 and 14. The surface of the board isdivided into sixty-four squares, half the total number being blacksquares 16 and the other half being white squares 17, the black squaresalternating with the white squares both sidewise and endwise of theboard. The game is designed to be played by two persons positionedopposite each other with the end edges of .the board being nearest theplayers respectively. There is a set of twelve black checkers 19 for oneplayer and a set of twelve white checkers 26 for the other player andthese are positioned on the board before beginning play as shown in FIG-URE 1.

The checkers are moved diagonally on the black squares 15 only, onesquare per Iturn of play. Should a black checker, for example, be in a4square next adjacent that on which a white checker sets, and should theblack square next beyond the black checker he vacant, the white checkermay jump the black checker and remove the jumped checker from the board.The object of the game is to block or capture all of the opponentscheckers. A checker or man becomes a king when it reaches any of thesquares in the last row adjacent the base edge of the opposing side, andthenceforth it may be moved backwards as well as forwards.

As thus far described, the manner of playing the game is according tothe normal game of checkers, and it is obvious that the equipmentprovided by this invention may be used to play the normal game.

Referring to FlGURES l to 8, inclusive, typical species of checkers ofthis invention are shown, they being designated by numerals 22 to 28inclusive, respectively. As will become apparent hereinafter, diderentcombinations of the illustrated examples of checkers of this inventionmay be used for playing games of different degrees of complexity overthe normal game of checkers. For the purposes of presenting herein afull description of a ice specic embodiment, the species of FIGURES 2-5are selected for particular description with reference to FIG- UR'E l.

It will be assumed that each players set of twelve checkers containsfour groups of three checkers each, with the members of the same groupbeing identical to each other and being diiferent from those of anyother group, i.e., one group consists of three checkers of the formshown at 22 in FIGURE 2, another group consists of three checkers 23,another of checkers 24, and the remaining group of checkers 25. Theillustrated checkers are circular, and for convenience of referenceherein, they are said to have a top surface 30 and a bottom surface 31.Each has a cylindrical projection extending axially upright from the topsurface 30, the projections of checkers 22 and 23 being square inhorizontal section and are designated by reference numeral 33. Theprojections of checkers 24 and 25 are circular in horizontalcross-section and are designated by reference numeral 34. Each of thecheckers 22 to 25 inclusive has a cylindrical recess formed coaxially inthe checker. The recesses of checkers 22 and 24 are of squarecross-section and are designated by reference numeralV 36. The recessesfor checkers 23 and 25 are circular in cross-section and are designatedby numeral 37.

The square projections 33 are slidably receivable in the square recess36 of another checker, and the circular projections 34 of any checkerare slidably receivable in the circular recesses 37 of any otherchecker. The square projections are not receivable in a circular recessnor are the circular projections receivable in a square recess, i.e.,the cross-sectional figure of a circular projection 34 can neither becircumscribed nor inscribed in the square ligure of a horizontal sectionthrough a square projection 33.

When a player has completed arranging his checkers to begin play, he'isnot permitted thereafter to turn any checker over as for the purpose ofascertaining whether it has a square or a circular recess. Beforebeginning play each player may arrange his checkers in any pat tern hedesires of three adjacent rows of four checkers each star-ting at hisbase row, and is charged thereafter with remembering which of hischeckers have square recesses and which have circular recesses. Afterplay has commenced, it being conventional for black to move first, w-hena player whose turn it is to play has one of his -checkers in positionto jump an opposing checker he may do so and remove or take the jumpedchecker only if his jumping checker mates with the jumped checker, i.e.,the recess and the projection of the jumping and jumped checkersrespectively are ofV common cross-sectional conguration. Should he find,in attempting to mate the recess of his jumping checker with theprojection of the opposing checker to be jumped, that mating is notpossible, then he forfeits his jumping checker. Alternatively, he ispermitted to elect whether or not he will attempt to mate his jumpingchecker with the checker to be jumped. Should he declare that he willnot attempt to mate, he is free to complete the jumping play withoutrisking forfeiture of h-is jumping checker but, in this case, he may nottake the jumped checker.l Thus it is clear that the players must -notonly concentrate on the rules of the normal checker game, but also, tobe successful, must remember which of their checkers have squarerecesses and which have round recesses.

To prevent each player from observing how his opponent is disposing hisdifferently recessed checkers before beginning play, a suitable screen39 is placed upright on the board medially and crosswise thereof.

Referring now to FIGURES 6, 7 and 8, the species of checkers 26, 27 and28 shown therein may be used in various combinations with each other orwith one or more of checkers 22 to 25 to add varying degrees ofcomplexity to the normal` game. The checker 26 of FIGURE 6 has aprojection 34 of circular cross-section and a recess 41 of hexagonalcross-section. The checker Z7 of FIGURE 7 has a projection 4Z ofhexagonal crosssection mateable in a recess 41 of hexagonalcross-section in another checker. the degrees of complexity permitted bythis invention, the bottom surface 31 of checkerZ is devoid of anyrecess. The checker 28 shown in FIGURE 8 is still another example of achecker for use in games of this invention, and it has neither aprojection nor a recess. It is to be understood that the sectioniigures, hexagons, of the recesses 41 and projections 42 are congruent,but can neither be circumscr-ibed nor inscribed in either a squareligure of a horizontal section through a square projection 33 or squarerecess 36 nor through a circular projection 34 or circular recess 37. Itis preferred that the selected figures be regular polygons, including acircle, equilateral triangle, and equilateral pentagon, the circle andregular polygons being preferred because the extent of orientationthereof to effect mating wit-h a projection or recess of a correspondingsection is less than would be `the case for an irregular figure. Theembodiments of square, circular and hexagonal gures have been chosen forpurposes of illustration because their appearances in side elevationaland axial section are more easily distinguishable from each other thanis the case of triangular and pentagonal sections.

Illustrative of still another variation in which the checkers of eachplayers set of twelve have projections and recesses of square, circularand hexagonal section figures is the Vcombination of three groups ofcheckers, all having projections, four of square section, four ofcircularVV In each of theV section, and four of hexagonal section. threegroups of four `checkers each, one has a recess of square section,another a recess of circular section, another a recess of hexagonalsection, and the fourth is devoid of a recess. To further complicate thegame, a checker devoid of a projection may be substituted for one havinga projection, as at 30 in FIGUR-E S. The number of possible combinationsthus is manyfold, and

the invention provides for interesting games of various..

degrees of complexity.

While the particular modied checker game herein shown and disclosed indetail is fully capablelof attaining the objects and providing theadvantages hereinbefor stated, it is to be understood that it is merelyillustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of thek inventionand that no limitations are intended to the details of construction ordesign herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Equipment for playing a modified checker game. comprising two sets oftwelve `checkers each, means for distinguishingthe checkers of one setfrom those of the other, each checker having a cylindrical projectionextending centrally from a top surface of the checker and a cylindricalrecess axially aligned with the projection and open in the bottomsurface of the checker, each set being separable into four groups ofthree checkers each with the members of the same group being identicalto each other and bein-g different fromthose of the other groups, saidgroups being as follows:

GroupjI in which the projection and recesses are of a firstconfiguration in cross-section and of uniform size and with theprojections being mateable with the recesses;

Illustrative of further liexibility inl Group II in which theprojections and recesses are of a second configuration in cross-sectionand of uniform size and with the projections being mateable with therecesses; j

Group III in which the projections are of the same configuration andsize as those of Group I and the recesses are of the same configurationand size as those of Group II; and,

Group IV in which therprojections are of the same conguration and sizeas those of Group II, and the recesses are of the same coniiguration andsize as those of Group I,

and said first and second cross-sectional configurations being neithercircumscrbable nor inscribable with respect` to each other.

2. Equipment for playing a modied checker game comprising `two setsl ofdistinctively marked checkers, each checker having a projection from itstop surface, of one of ya plurality of diierent shapes, certain checkersof of each set having a recess in its bottom surface mateable withcertain ones only of said projections, certain pieces having similarlyshaped projections and recesses and others having dilerently shapedprojections and recesses, and each of said recesses and each of saidprojections being Imateable, respectively, with a projection or a recessof another oneof said checkers.

'3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the bottom surface of atleast one checker of each group is devoid of a recess mateable with anyone of said projections.

4. A set of checker game pieces comprising a separate group ofdistinctively marked pieces for each player, the checkers of each groupincluding a plurality of projections on one side diierent in shape fromone` another and a plurality of recesses on their opposite sides whichare different in shape fromL one another and mateablel only withlike-size and shape ones of said projections, certain of said pieceshavin-g similarly shaped recesses and projections and other of saidpieces having ditferently shaped recesses and projections on theiropposed sides, and said last-mentioned recesses and projections beingadapted to mate with like shaped projections and recesses.

5. Equipment for playing a modified checker game comprising, a pluralityof checkers for each player divisible into different groups, and meansprojecting upwardly from the upper sides of said checkers fordistinguishing checkers of a rst group from those of a second group,wherein each of a given number of checkersV of each group has saidmeansprovided in one of t-Wo distinctively different shapes, certain checkersof each group having recesses of one of two distinctively dilerentshapes opening through the bottom surface complemental to and mateableonly with certain ones of the projec tions, certain other checkers ofeach group having recesses of the other of said two distinctivelydifferent shapes opening through the bottom surface, which latterrecesses are not mateable with said certain ones of the projections.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/ 62 Kazakevich273-130 FOREIGN PATENTS 16,560 v1904 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

2. EQUIPMENT FOR PLAYING A MODIFIED CHECKER GAME COMPRISING TWO SETS OFDISTINCTIVELY MARKED CHECKERS, EACH CHECKER HAVING A PROJECTION FROM ITSTOP SURFACE OF ONE OF A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT SHAPES, CERTAIN CHECKERSOF OF EACH SET HAVING A RECESS IN ITS BOTTOM SURFACE MATEABLE WITHCERTAIN ONES ONLY OF SAID PROJECTIONS, CERTAIN PIECES HAVING SIMILARLYSHAPED PROJECTIONS AND RECESSES AND OTHERS HAVING DIFFERENTLY SHAPEDPROJECTION AND RECESSES, AND EACH OF SAID RECESSES AND EACH OF SAIDPROJECTIONS BEING MATEABLE, RESPECTIVELY, WITH A PROJECTION OR A RECESSOF ANOTHER ONE OF SAID CHECKERS.